Poison in the Blood
by qwanderer
Summary: Jealousy, alcohol, and palladium. Tony and Loki have that drink, and a chat. Inspired by Parallels, by TheCimmerianRaven. /s/8236756/1/Parallels


"This is not a prison cell."

"No. This is my sofa. Sit. Relax. Have a drink. You look like you could use it. I know I could." Tony sat down next to the god, and poured them each a drink. They sat and sipped in silence for a while.

Loki's eyes drifted back across the large open room to where the rest of the Avengers were still congregated. "The others are concerned for you, but you're not afraid of me."

Tony squinted at him. "Don't see any reason to be."

Loki looked disbelieving with a side of affronted.

"I mean yes, you are a bit deranged, but if I can deal with the Hulk, I can deal with you. He's stronger, less predictable. Greener. With your army gone you're much less dangerous than he is. That reminds me, I wonder how you compare in number of times you've each smashed your royal brother in his smug face? I think Hulk's up to twelve."

This image brought a burst of startled laughter from Loki.

"So what's your count? I know you've decked him at least once. I don't know how anyone can stand not to."

The corners of Loki's mouth quirked as he spoke. "Not since we were children. The brute may have outpaced me there, as well."

"Sounds like you had some good times."

"He was my brother, or so I thought. But I was only Odin's pet." The humor had left Loki's face. "Odin's tool; a companion for his real son. What could I have done? I was out of place in the only place I have known."

"Psh. Yeah. Along with probably every human ever."

Loki began to look dangerous again. "Explain."

"There's always someone to be jealous of. It doesn't matter who your parents are. What they expect of you. Live through enough shit, and you figure out you're the only person who you need to satisfy. You need to learn what you expect of yourself, because there's always someone new waiting to tell you what you could be doing better." Tony threw back the rest of his drink. "Hell, save the world a couple times, you get hundreds of people pointing out your flaws. There is no such thing as good enough."

"You really believe that?"

"Absolutely. And blood doesn't matter. I can be fairly certain where I got my genius and good looks, but that doesn't mean I can't relate to being jealous of a blond floppy-haired goody goody who carries around an immovable hunk of metal. Ladies and Gentlemen, Howard Stark's pride and joy, Captain America!" Tony made a flourish with the hand unoccupied by a glass.

Loki could not suppress another burst of laughter.

Tony continued. "Seriously, Dad was always 'Captain Rogers' this, 'Captain Rogers' that. Guess he was an interesting chemistry experiment. Maybe if I'd taken up poisoning myself with palladium a few years earlier..."

"You would harm yourself?"

"No, that was a joke. Although now that I think of it, maybe that was why I wrecked that motorcycle so often. Anything for attention." Tony cringed and glanced down at the glowing machine in his chest. "I must have thought I was immortal. Well, I guess some of us are." He shot a look at the god next to him.

"At least you didn't have to compete to be heard with the god of thunder." Loki's laugh now was distinctly bitter.

"There is that," Tony conceded, as he refilled Loki's glass again.

"Shiny silver bastards," Loki slurred. "Always being perfect. Making everyone else look bad. Silver is...too clean."

"Now gold armor," Tony agreed, "is just badass. And it helps when you have to deal with ice."

Loki laughed again. "Yes. Ice." And as Tony had just poured himself another drink, Loki reached out a blue finger and cooled it for him.

A slightly dazed Tony watched frost form on his glass. His eyebrows crinkled. "Now that's a new trick."

"A trait of the frost giants. My true family." Loki looked at his hand, which was returning to its usual peach color.

"A little small for a giant, aren't you?" Tony chuckled. And then bit his tongue on anything more as he saw tears beginning to well in the god's eyes.

Loki blinked a few times, but oddly (it was probably the alcohol) he didn't end up stopping the tears from escaping. And when Tony held out his arms, Loki gave in to his fatigue and laid his head on the human's shoulder.

The only place he had been welcomed, without reservation, for nothing more and nothing less than what he was.

And now the tears began to flow in earnest. 


End file.
